The ultimate goal of this project is to significantly improve the effectiveness of jury trials by increasing the probability that jurors will be able to render their verdict in light of the law and not in ignorance of it. It has been empirically demonstrated that many juries fail to carry out their legal obligations because they are unable to understand the law. Unless jury instructions are written and presented in ways that will make them understandable this problem will continue. Depending on the case, such "lawless" decisions can result either in a guilty litigant not being brought to justice or an innocent litigant unjustly losing his/her property, his/her freedom, or even his/her life. Such a situation makes a mockery of our system of justice. This project is designed to help solve the problem of incomprehensible jury instructions through the development of the means by which drafting committees can insure that their jury instructions are sufficiently comprehensible. In aiming toward this goal, the main objective of this project is to develop an empirically oriented method of producing maximally comprehensive and memorable jury instructions. This method is to include valid, reliable and practical procedures for assessing and for rewriting jury instructions. Once these procedures are proven to be effective, it is proposed that the knowledge gained from this project be incorporated in a guide manual that committees responsible for drafting jury instructions will be able to use. (This last objective, however, is not part of the request for funding.)